PadidehAla'i

Professor of Law

Padideh Ala’i is a Professor of Law at American University, Washington College of Law (WCL) in Washington D.C. where she specializes in areas of international trade law and development and comparative legal traditions. Specifically, she teaches the law of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and writes in the areas of history and free trade, international efforts to combat corruption as well as issues relating to trade and good governance. In 2005 and 2009 Professor Alai was the Acting Director of the International Legal Studies Program. She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1988 and was in private legal practice with the law firms of Jones Day and Reichler, Milton and Medel prior to joining the Faculty of the WCL in 1997. In private practice Professor Ala’i represented developing country governments, including Guyana, Nicaragua, Uganda, China and the Philippines in their negotiations with foreign investors, US Government and its federal agencies, as well as multilateral institutions such as the World Bank. She also represented multinational corporations in international business transaction and advised them on pending U.S. banking legislation. From 1992-1996, Professor Ala’i was part of the legal team representing the Government of Philippines in international litigation and arbitration against Westinghouse Corp. charging corruption and bribery by Westinghouse of former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and defective construction of the Bataan nuclear power plant.

In 2003-2005 Professor Ala’i was the Co-Chair of the International Economic Law Group (IELG) of the American Society of International Law (ASIL). In that capacity, she organized a conference on the relationship of freedom of trade and peace. Professor Ala’i subsequently co-edited the book that was based on that conference as part of the ASIL Studies in Transnational Legal Policy entitled: Trade as Guarantor of Peace, Liberty and Security? Critical, Historical and Empirical Perspectives, Padideh Alai, Tomer Broude and Colin Picker eds., 37 Studies in Transnational Legal Policy (ASIL-2006). Her other publications include: “The Legacy of Geographical Morality and Colonialism: A Historical Assessment Current Crusade Against Corruption”, 33 Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law 4 (October 2000); “Free Trade or Sustainable Development: An Analysis of the WTO Appellate Body’s Shift to a more Balanced approach to Trade Liberalization”, 14 AU International Law Review 4 (1999); “Judicial Lobbying at the WTO: The Debate over the use of amicus curiae briefs and the U.S. Experience”, 24 Fordham Journal of International Law (Nov-Dec. 2000);“A Human Rights Critique of the WTO: Some Preliminary Observations”, 33 George Washington University International Law Review 3 & 4 (2001); and “Transparency and the Multilateral Trading System, in i>Trends in World Trade: Essays in Honor of Sylvia Ostry, edited by Alan Alexandroff (Carolina Academic Press 2007).

Padideh Ala'i, Controlling Corruption in International Business: The International Legal Framework, in Knowledge for Sustainable Development: An Insight into the Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (UNDP/UNESCO Publication Fall 2002).

Padideh Ala'i, Debra Steger, Peter Van den Bossche & William Davey, Organizer & Moderator, Global Governance and the WTO: A Conversation about the Past, Present and Future of the Dispute Settlement Mechanism of the WTO (American University Washington College of Law, Wash., D.C., Nov. 2008).

Padideh Ala'i, Speech, Trade Liberalization and the Problematic of Corruption in Pursuing Development through Trade (Inaugural Meeting of the Society of International Economic Law (SIEL), Geneva, Switz., July 15-17, 2008).

Padideh Ala'i, Speech, Interrelationships: International Economic Law and Developing Countries (Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law, International Economic Law Group (IELG), Oct. 4-6, 2006).

Padideh Ala'i, Panelist, NAFTA and Reginal Integration Specialization (Washington College of Law Founders Celebration Event, American University Washington College of Law, Wash., D.C., Mar. 2005).

Padideh Ala'i, Panelist, Trade as Guarantor of Peace, Liberty and Security? (American Society of International Law-International Economic Law Group, American University Washington College of Law Conference, Wash., D.C., Feb. 26-28, 2005).

Padideh Ala'i, Panelist, An Environmentally Friendly WTO? (Environmental Law Society, American University Washington College of Law, Wash., D.C., Oct. 2001).

Padideh Ala'i, Panelist, Diversity and International Law (Canadian Council of International Law Annual Conference, Ottawa, Can., Oct. 18-21, 2001).

Padideh Ala'i, Panelist, Role of Civil Society at the WTO, World Bank and the IMF (Annual Meeting of the American Branch of the International Law Association, N.Y.C., N.Y., Oct. 2001).

Padideh Ala'i, Panelist, Increasing Disparity between the Rich and Poor: International Law and the Perils of Globilization (Sixth European Bahai Conference on International Law and Order at the Hague, Hague, Neth., Oct. 1, 2001).

Padideh Ala'i, Lecture, Selected Issues in U.S. and International Trade (University of Haifa, Faculty of Law, Haifa, Isr., May - June 2001).

Padideh Ala'i, Panelist, What are the Responsibilites of Business in a Global Economy? (International Legal Studies Program Reunion, American University Washington College of Law, Wash., D.C., Mar. 2001).

Padideh Ala'i, Lecture, Managing Legal and Political Risks in International Business Transactions: International Trade Week (American University Washington College of Law, Wash., D.C., June 21-25, 1999).

USIA on Corruption in the Judiciary (World Vision Television July 1998) ().

Padideh Ala'i, Lecture, Managing Legal and Political Risk in International Business Transactions (International Trade Week, American University Washington College of Law, Wash., D.C., June - July 1998).